THE DISABLED HEIRESS, MY EX-HUSBAND WOULD PAY DEARLY.

At that moment, Malisa and Cora were intrigued. Their expressions shifted from suspicion to subtle curiosity, the kind of look anyone would give someone when you know they're hiding a bigger secret behind their words. Malisa folded her arms, tilting her head, while Cora leaned slightly forward, her eyes locked on Lovie, trying to read him deeper than his calm smile suggested.

Cora was the first to speak.

"Lovi, what exactly are you suggesting? What's actually going on? You keep circling the matter—just say it clearly. What do you know that we don't?"

Lovi took a slow breath and gently leaned back into the velvet chair like he was settling into something heavy.

"That… is where I come in," he began, slowly.

There was a short pause as he rubbed his palms together, then laced his fingers. His voice dropped slightly, not secretive, but deliberate.

"Cora, I need you to listen to me carefully. What I'm about to say isn't from a place of manipulation or mischief. I've offended James already by even agreeing to help you, and now I feel like I'm walking on a wire between two skyscrapers. So before I tell you everything, I need you to promise me one thing—just one."

Hearing Lovi word's Cora frowned. "What is it?"

Lovi's gaze grew serious.

"Promise me that whatever I'm about to say, you'll at least hear it with an open mind. Don't jump to conclusions, and don't treat me like I'm the enemy. I'm giving you a solution that will protect not just you but me as well."

Malisa was about to say something, but Cora lifted a hand to silence her.

Lovie continued, "Look… I don't know who's backing James right now. And believe me, someone powerful is behind him. No matter how ruthless or manipulative he is, James is not this smart on his own. The way things are moving, how he's recalling shares, how he's maneuvering legal traps, he has help. Big help."

At that moment Cora's face tightened. Malisa glanced at her but didn't interrupt.

Lovi looked between the two women.

"I've offended him now. That's not something someone like James will forgets. And on the other hand, you suspect me too. So if I'm going to walk this line with you, I need to be fully inside the picture, fully informed, fully protected. I want to live, Cora."

He leaned forward, his tone more intense.

"So, yes. I have a suggestion. A very solid one. But I want in. I want control over how I survive this situation. Because whether you like it or not… we're all in it now."

He paused, then added with quiet certainty:

"And once I tell you what I'm about to tell you… everything changes."

At that moment, Cora was clearly not having it anymore. Her face, which had started the conversation with curiosity and focus, was now clouded with growing irritation. The silence in the room was thick, but her mind was even heavier. She looked at Lovi this same man she once trusted to deliver clean, precise results—now speaking in riddles, holding on to secrets like a man drunk on his own power.

She shook her head slowly, then exhaled sharply through her nose.

"Lovi," she said with clear restraint, "I really don't understand where all of this is going. And frankly, I don't like it."

Then Malisa glanced at Cora, noticing how tight her fists were becoming. She knew that tone Cora was edging toward the point where patience fades into regret.

"This wasn't supposed to be the situation I'd find myself in," Cora continued, her voice sharper now. "From the beginning, I gave you one simple job. One. You do the job, you get paid. That was our deal. Not this nonsense of negotiating your way into some grand plan. I've dealt with people like you, Lovie. People who talk in circles, hide behind secrets, and then act like they're doing me a favor."

She leaned slightly forward, her tone more cutting.

"And I'll tell you what I've always learned, people like that, people like you, are greedy. You're just proving it to me now."

However Lovi kept quiet, his smile fading a little. he expected a reaction from Cora, but not this direct and piercing.

Cora didn't stop. She was too far in now.

"You want me to agree to something I know nothing about? That's not how I work. If you want me to even consider it, if you want me to even give you a chance, then at least tell me what it is. Give me a hint. A clue. Something!"

Then she sat back, frustrated. Her voice calmed a bit, but the warning behind her words remained strong.

"Because if you think I'm going to blindly say yes and hand over any control without knowing what's at stake, then I'm sorry to disappoint you, I'll bear the loss and walk away first."

Then she looked at him with finality and said:

"That will never happen."

At that moment, Malisa finally lost her cool. She had been quiet for a while, trying to understand the direction this conversation was going, but now, she couldn't stay silent anymore. Her voice came out sharp, and her eyes narrowed as she turned fully toward Lovi.

"You know what?" she began, her tone heavy with disappointment. "I'm really, really disappointed in you, Lovi."

Then Cora turned her gaze toward Melissa, surprised by the sudden outburst. Melissa rarely raised her voice, but right now, she was clearly upset.

Malisa continued, "I actually regret everything. I regret ever bringing you into this picture. I regret the day I called your name in that conversation. I trusted you, Lovi. I liked how you used to do your job—quiet, precise, no drama. That was why I even recommended you for this in the first place. Because I thought you were different."

She shook her head bitterly.

"But now? Now it's clear. You're not different at all. You're just like every other person out there chasing money and power. The moment you found out who Cora really is, what she owns, what she's capable of, you flipped. You saw gold, and now you want to mine it like a greedy scavenger."

Lovi tried to interrupt, but Malisa raised her hand sharply. "No. Don't even try to explain anything to me right now."

Her voice cracked slightly, not out of weakness, but out of genuine hurt. "You didn't just betray Cora. You betrayed me too. You made me look like a fool for bringing you in."

Then she stepped forward slightly, her voice rising with every word.

"If you think for one second that we are going to sit here and let you manipulate the situation to benefit only yourself, then you really don't know us at all. If you think you can double-cross us, you must be dreaming."

At that moment she pointed a finger directly at him.

"I'm sorry to inform you, Lovi, but I will never allow that. I don't care who you think you are or what you claim to know—I will never allow you to rip us off. Never."